Beck: Crime down in L.A., but it might not last

Despite the recession, Los Angeles saw a 10 percent decline in crime at the beginning of this year, but police Chief Charlie Beck warned today that might not last if budget cuts continue to effectively reduce the size of the force.

Beck said the city's decision to give officers time off instead of overtime has resulted in 7-8 percent fewer officers on the streets.

"If things go as they did last year in terms of overtime, then at the end of the next fiscal year, we will have less personnel hours that are the equivalent of 600 cops," Beck said. "That's a significant, significant cut."

The police chief said overtime cannot always be avoided, noting "cops that work night watch go to court during the day, arrests are not always made early in your shift."

Beck said he has been forced to pull officers from specialized divisions like narcotics and gang enforcement to staff area divisions.

To date, 178 officers have been transferred and another batch of 180 officers is planned soon. The LAPD has about 10,000 officers in all.

"This summer, I may have to give approximately 10 percent of the workforce a day off to make up for their overtime so that I can fill those black and whites (patrol cars) and can keep the city safe," Beck said.

Beck urged the City Council to let him continue hiring -- if only to replace officers who leave the force or retire. As it is, he said, LAPD has about half as many officers as Chicago and New York.

Even shorthanded, LAPD recorded 14.8 fewer violent crimes and 9.5 percent fewer property crimes since the start of 2010, compared to the same period last year.

That is equivalent to a 10 percent overall decline in crime citywide.

LAPD recorded six fewer homicides this year compared to last year, for a drop of 16.2 percent. It also recorded 18 fewer incidents of rape, an 18.9 percent decline.